Children’s hospital increases security as online right spreads anti-trans conspiracy theory

Boston Children’s Hospital is under online attack after Chaya Raichik – who goes by “Libs of TikTok” on Twitter – amplified a “special report”  detailing gender-affirming care at the nation’s number one rated pediatric hospital.

On August 11, Raichik reposted the “expose” on Boston Children’s by Christina Buttons for the right-wing site Post Millennial, sponsored by conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow.

The “special report” consists of videos publicly available on Boston Children’s website along with commentary insinuating children as young as two or three are getting gender-affirming surgery.

Buttons’ inspiration was a post by Chris Elston, self-described “Father of two girls. Travelling North America to expose gender ideology and why children cannot consent to medical transition.” Earlier in the week, he posted a Boston Children’s video in which attending physician Frances Grimstad matter-of-factly describes gender-affirming hysterectomy, a gender affirming procedure available to transgender men.

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While Boston Children’s recommends the surgery for individuals 18 and older, Buttons implies it’s available to young children.

“Boston Children’s Hospital founded the Gender Multispecialty Service (GeMs) program in 2007 and welcomes patients as young as 3 years old,” she wrote.

Raichik bumped up the implication with a blatantly false headline to her repost claiming: “Boston Children’s Hospital is now offering ‘gender-affirming hysterectomies’ for young girls.”

In fact, patients qualifying for gender-reaffirming hysterectomy must be at least 18-years-old and have a “persistent, well-documented, gender dysphoria,” the hospital website says. “All genital surgeries are only performed on patients age 18 and older.”

The repost went viral.

Raichik then stoked the outrage with 13 more posts peddling misinformation about the hospital and gender program.

Now Boston Children’s doctors and patients are suffering the consequences.

Boston physician Michael O’Brien posted on Twitter: “As a result of transphobic harassment directly related to posts by @LibsofTikTok, pediatric patients in Boston are being seen with extra security because there have been so many threats against docs’ lives —confirmed on the ground.”

Writer and activist Alejandra Caraballo documented Raichik’s online intimidation campaign on Twitter.

“In the last 5 days, Libs of Tiktok has tweeted and retweeted 14 posts about Boston Children’s Hospital. As a result, BCH providers are being inundated in death threats and harassing calls and emails. It’s now affecting their services. This is stochastic terrorism, full stop.”

Raichik’s latest obsession also caught the attention of PolitiFact, which says the clip she promoted strips away context and is purposefully misleading to create a false narrative.

Dr. O’Brien calls out Raichik’s false narrative as an existential threat: “Chaya Raichik is insighting [sic] violence against LGBTQ kids and their allies. Chaya Raichik is supporting domestic terror. Chaya Raichik is spreading fear across the world and enabling hatred and slurs. Ban her. Now @TwitterSupport.”

Raichik responded on Twitter, “Why is this doctor obsessed with me.”

“I’m not gonna date you @triplethreat_md.”